The present invention relates generally to child safety and restraint devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to child safety seats and the harness systems that are employed therewith.
In the prior art, child safety seats are very well known and documented. Generally, as depicted in FIGS. 1-4, child safety seats 2 are constructed to include a rigid shell 4 that is secured to an existing vehicle seat 6 using an arrangement of straps and/or belts that firmly retain the child safety seat 2 in the installed position. When installing older child style safety seats into a vehicle, the rigid shell 4 of child safety seat 2 included a passageway through which the vehicle seat belt was passed and then buckled. In this arrangement the vehicle seatbelt served as the means by which the child safety seat was retained in its installed position in the vehicle. Newer child safety seats for installation into late model cars, which include the federally mandated LATCH system, employ a lower strap 8 that attaches the rigid shell 4 of the child safety seat 2 to rigid attachment points provided within the vehicle seat 6 itself. In addition, most newer child safety seats 2 include a tether 10 that extends from the upper portion of the back of the safety seat 2 to another rigid attachment point 12 in the vehicle either on the rear of the vehicle seat back or on the rear deck behind the vehicle seat. By attaching the child safety seat 2 to the vehicle in this manner, a rigid platform is established within the vehicle to safely restrain the child for transport.
The rigid shell 4 of the child safety seat 2, in addition to having padding 14 to make the seat comfortable for the child seated therein, also includes a harness that is used to secure the child within the child seat in order to restrain the child during travel and protect them in the event of an accident. It is this child restraint harness that creates a particular concern when trying to safely retain the child within the safety seat itself during use. Typically, these harness systems use belt-like webbing material in order to secure the child in similar fashion to a seat belt. The harness typically employs two webbing belts 16 that pass on either side of the child's neck and over their shoulders. The opposite ends of the webbing belts 16 are then removably secured to a lap belt 18 via a buckle 19 in front of the child. At the shoulders, the two belts 16 are routed through the seatback and secured to a single belt 20 that is located behind the seat and in turn extends beneath the seat to a location that allows the tension of the harness system to be adjusted by the parent. As the webbing straps pass the buckle 19 the turn along the lap of the child and form a lap restraint 17 in front of the child's hips and terminate in attachment points at the sides of the child safety seat 2.
There is a well-known problem associated with these existing child restraint harness systems in that the belts are substantially inelastic, in other words they do not stretch or give in any way. Since they are similar to seat belt webbing in their manufacture, they tend to be quite rigid and inflexible. The concern is that while for safety purposes this belt webbing does not stretch much at all, even during an accident where substantial impact forces may be imparted to the seat, the rigidity of the child restraint harness itself causes those impact forces to be transferred to the child restrained therein. It has been found that when these forces are applied to a child safety seat that employs a prior art rigid webbing restraint the harness, the child restrained therein can suffer injury. For example, the child's shoulders may receive a significant impact during an accident that may result in severe bruising and even bone injury.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a child safety seat that employs a harness system that safely and effectively restrains the child seated therein, yet includes sufficient energy-absorbing characteristics to prevent the transfer of shock loads to the child's body. There is a further need for a harness system for use in a child safety seat that has webbing that permits some elongation while still providing sufficient restraint to insure the safety of the child restrained therein during an accident. There is a further need for an improved harness system for use in connection with a child safety seat that does not affect the operation of the normal of the child seat or compromise the overall safety thereof. Finally, there is a need for a device that can be installed into an existing child safety seat harness system thereby creating some elasticity while still providing sufficient restraint to insure the safety of the child restrained therein during an accident.